Category Archives: design love

18 Feb 2019

(Bridget and I talking all things art! I am in love with some of these pieces for my home and excited that some of them are affordable and attainable for even my budget)

Hello & happy Monday to you! I hope most of you have the President’s Day off and are able to spend extra time with family and friends.

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the rather new-ish auction house in town; Neue Auctions. The team behind this fierce auction house and gallery has been at the forefront of the Cleveland art world for decades, but for the first time are collaborating together as one team. The powerhouse behind this new auction destination includes Cynthia Colling Maciejewski of Aspire Auctions, Ron Greenwald and Ricardo Bernabe of Greenwald Antiques and Bridget McWilliams of WOLFS.

(At the next auction, Neue has a large collection of Cleveland Athletic Club sterling silver trophies going to the highest bidder. I’d love one to use as a vase for tulips or as an ice bucket for champagne. Let the bidding begin!)

I love buying unique pieces of art at auction for our home. Each piece comes with its own unique history which I love…so much better than buying artwork at any big box store. Currently, I am collecting mid-century portraits and color studies that I hang throughout our home.

(At Neue they also have an extensive collection of estate jewelry. I tried on a strand of jade beads that were so pretty and the clasp was super intricate…I can’t stop thinking about them)

The four experts have assembled their next auction filled with fine art and antiques and we can begin previewing it online on Saturday, February 23rd with the actual LIVE ONLINE auction going down one month later on March 23rd, at 11am on neueauctions.com. Get yourself registered and plan your bids now!

(Interested in African Art? This collection comes from a private collector from Northeast Ohio and has some highly collectible pieces that are expected to excite many collectors.)

Neue is proud of their new approach to antique collecting and wants to better reach women and our younger generations through hands-on educational events, visual storytelling and the use of social media. Through making the world of vintage and antiques more accessible, Neue hopes to make the passion of collecting more accessible to everyone not only in Cleveland but around the globe.

What goes around, comes around…it is the perfect saying when talking about auctions, estate sales, and flea markets. For those who are curious about collecting items of artistic and historical significance but aren’t sure if it is for them or where to start, this free evening is for you. Wednesday, February 27 from 6:30-8 pm, Neue Gallery Presents: Collecting 101 where co-founder Cynthia Maciejewski will talk about what people like to collect and why, the most popular art and history items that people are collecting now, and she’ll share great items for first-time collectors to look for to integrate into more their own home design and style. Wine, nibbles, antiques, and design…sounds like a perfect night out to me, who will I see there?

SPONSORED POST : Thank you to Neue Auction for inviting me to explore their new business and check out what is up for auction next. Cleveland, thanks for supporting this new business, while allowing me to create special content like this for iheartcleveland!

22 Jan 2019

Hello & happy snowstorm weekend to all. Did you enjoy your snowy Sunday? Were you snowed in and binge-watching Netflix for most of the weekend? Did you get some cooking and “tidying up” completed? Did you brave the snow and go out and play? All in all, it was an incredible weekend, the snow made it magical and I hope we get more soon.

While we weren’t doing a ton of driving around town this weekend, LAST weekend we enjoyed playing tourist in our own city. Destination? Old Brooklyn!

Can you believe I truly haven’t spent any time in this hip, up and coming neighborhood? Me neither! I’ve heard so many great things about the area and I see every foodie blogger hanging out in that hood…I had to check it out myself.

Stop #1 • We started the adventure at the new Lilly’s Chocolates; on W. Schaaf Rd. It has a new, lovely corner spot, with an adjacent parking lot making it easy to get in and out quickly. The store is a bit smaller than their last location in Tremont but it is extra chock full of chocolate creations, making it just as SWEET! This new store offers some extra special treats that weren’t available at their other location, including their fruit jellies which are delicious. Anyhow, I was so excited to go explore this new store, same Lilly’s Chocolates exquisite in every way!

Stop #2 • After chocolate-tasting it was time for a cup-of-joe so we headed to the most adorable part bike shop, part coffee destination…Coffee. Coffee. Coffee! The shop was hoping and the barista was whipping out creative coffee offerings in record time. The space is adorable, reminds of a coffee shop I used to go to in college in Syracuse. It has high ceilings, loads of great light and the coffee counter is someplace I could spend an entire afternoon hanging out at. Next time Mr. C. & I are headed home from a visit to the zoo, we will FOR SURE swing by Coffee. Coffee. Coffee., for my favorite; an almond milk latte.

Stop #3 • Last stop that afternoon was at Old Brooklyn Cheese Company. We sampled a bunch of cheese, learned more about their cheese making process and also had some really yummy, homemade mustards. The cheesemakers at 4138 Pearl Road are producers of cave-aged, non-GMO raw cow’s milk cheese’s…simply delicious. For the last year, I haven’t been eating dairy but with all of these local, artisan cheeses I had to buy one and it didn’t dissappoint…everything in moderation. If you are looking for an interesting cheese to add to your next cheese board or to bring as a hostess gift head on over to the cheese specialists at Old Brooklyn Cheese!

Old Brooklyn has a lot of cool things happening and it was fun to play tourist in my own city. If you haven’t gone exploring through that part of town, make a date with a friend and go hungry…there are so many foodie businesses, I will for sure be craving chocolate, coffee, and cheese real soon. :)

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15 Jan 2019

Hi & happy “there is finally SNOW!” I know you all know how much I love a good snowfall…so let’s just take a moment to do a little happy dance, bust out your snow clothes and plan to head outside for a bit of winter fun.

This year here on I Heart Cleveland I want to use this place to share some of the fun things that I find, that get emailed to me or that friends recommend…that I LOVE! I’m going to try and post once a month about two or three things that I enjoy and hope you will too.

#1 : Modern CLE : Have you checked out the newest, digital magazine sweetheart; Modern CLE? Not only is it well designed and has great photographs but best of all it features some amazing women from right here in Northeast Ohio. Each week the team at Modern CLE will share with us a story about a woman who is marching to the beat of her own drum. Last week they featured my friend and fellow entrepreneur; Reena Goodwin of Fracteur PR, make sure you go check it out. Also, they just updated their site, so make sure you sign up for their newsletter to get the weekly GO GIRL stories! Modern CLE you are killing it! Keep up the great job.

#2 : Georgia O’Keeffe at the CMA : As a once art student and now a professional graphic designer, I am a huge art enthusiast. Mr. C and I are members of the Art Museum and we try our best to see most of the feature exhibits that come to town. Currently, I am loving on the Georgia O’Keeffe show which was originally organized by the Brooklyn Museum and runs through March 3rd. Not only do I appreciate Ms. O’Keeffe’s paintings of florals, abstracts, and imagery from the desert, but this exhibit really is so much more than that. This show covers who the artist actually was as a person, what she liked to do when she wasn’t creating art and my personal favorite..what she liked to wear! It isn’t a huge show, but I think everyne should for sure go check it out. It’s totally kid and family friendly too, in case that had crossed your mind. ;)

#3 : Brewellas : This Lakewood destination for delicious coffee and crepes has me tickled pink. From the hand-painted wall mural to the opposite wall of curated, vintage mirrors for sale and let’s not even talk about the custom neon…this new spot is a must see. You’ve probably seen pics of this adorable, Lakewood crepe shop popping up in your insta feed but you really should go see it for yourself. Looking for a great Brewellas lunch? I typically order a plain crepe with egg, bacon and a touch of Gruyere plus an almond milk latter…perfect for a Friday treat! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

So hooray for my first “currently loving” January post! I hope you guys get out and enjoy some of these fun finds!

If you have any ideas for the February post…I am always open to sharing, shoot me an email to editor@iheartcleveland.com

07 Jan 2019

Hi blog world & happy 2019! I hope you all had a great holiday season and are ready to head into this new year happy and healthy.

I was reviewing my 2018 goals the other day and to be honest…I only got to a handful of what I had hoped to accomplish completed last year. It’s not that we weren’t productive; we were. Our year was just thrown a few curve balls which were all-encompassing and downright crippling at times.

2018 was a different year at that. We remodeled my husbands old home (which was a rental for some time) and then sold it by owner; which was lots of hard work and included me getting a bad case of poison ivy. We also lost a family member to a long battle with cancer, the closest experience I have ever been to see a human life leave this earth. Sad.

With that said, two great things that DID come out of last year were that Mr. C and I found the Whole 30 way of eating and invested in a Peloton Bike. We kicked off Whole 30 strict last March and continue to carry 90% of the guide to eating even today. We found that the food prep added family fun in the kitchen. The clean way of eating also helped regulate sleep and provide additional energy that was often lacking. Having our Peloton in our home makes grabbing a spin class or working with weights simple and huge time savings. Don’t feel like rushing to get to a yoga class on time? No problem Peloton also offers so many wonderful new yoga opportunities. Health & wellness took a front seat in our home last year, so that is pretty cool.

So while my hopes for a new blog homepage, pushing my followers closer to 5K, adding a flower garden to my yard and learning how to weave a wall hanging didn’t quite happen…here’s to a new year filled with new possibilities. If last year taught me nothing else, it taught me how to slow down and define what is really important in life. Family, your health and good friends…everything else is just a bonus!

Happy 2019 you guys. I can’t wait to tackle new goals and check off a list of “to-do’s” together this year. Life is filled with possibilities, make sure you grab on and enjoy the ride. Cheers!

(Thank you Suzanne Price of http://suzuranphotography.com for capturing me and my family one spring evening down by the lake. Suzanne your talent is pure magic. Thank you!)

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28 Dec 2018

What to do with your “littles” over this holiday break? Look no further than the new Color Me Mine at Pinecrest Village. I took our 4-year-old to paint a couple of holiday gifts and it was a ton of fun for both of us.When you arrive you can pick from hundreds of their blank ceramic pieces. They have everything from modern-facetted vases to superhero hero figurines, to clean dishware, mugs and more. Once you select your piece, the kind helpers assist you in choosing your paint palettes. With piece and paint in hand; you are then free to paint the afternoon away until you have crafted the perfect piece.

“We” made a Cleveland Indians baseball cap bank and a small vase…both for holiday gifts. It was a fun way to do a craft (without the mess at home) and spend an afternoon together while also checking off our gift list. While we were painting, the store was also hosting a private birthday party which personally is a great idea for any special occasion.

We left the painted ceramic pieces to be fired in their kiln and a few days later stopped by and picked up our masterpieces. Again, super fun afternoon and very easy finishing process.

Thank you to the kind staff at Color Me Mine for making us feel like the next Picasso and Warhol around. I would highly recommend you go and explore this new store at Pinecrest on the eastside…so much creative fun!

SPONSORED POST: Thank you to Color Me Mine for inviting us to explore their new creative, play space. Thanks for supporting this business, while allowing me to create special content like this for iheartcleveland!